Atlanta , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The next time a married man or woman glances your way , you might think twice before acting on impulse and frolicking between satin sheets . The scorned spouse could sue you .

Yes , you read that right . You , the paramour , can get hit with a lawsuit that could cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars .

They 're known as `` alienation of affection '' suits , when an `` outsider '' interferes in a marriage . The suits are allowed in seven states : Hawaii , Illinois , Mississippi , New Mexico , North Carolina , South Dakota and Utah .

The law allowing such legal action dates back to antiquated times when a wife was considered the property of a husband . A broken-hearted hubby could go after his wife 's lover -- not with a gun , but with the law .

In modern times , the suits are filed for two reasons : money and revenge . Juries in North Carolina have handed out awards in excess of $ 1 million on multiple occasions .

`` If your spouse is going to cheat , you really would like them to cheat with somebody who has a lot of money , '' says Lee Rosen , a North Carolina divorce attorney who deals with alienation of affection cases on a daily basis .

And that 's why many legal experts are paying close attention to the Tiger Woods saga . Will his wife go after an alleged mistress ?

Were any of his `` transgressions '' with someone who is married ? If so , the jilted hubby might be able to go after the world 's richest golfer .

It does n't matter that Woods lives in Florida , a state where the suits are n't allowed , legal experts say . If any of Woods ' professed `` sins '' took place in an alienation of affection state , look out .

`` If he had been dating a married woman , there could be the potential for a lucrative recovery , '' Rosen says . `` You 've got to have a really affluent paramour that makes for a good target . ''

The suits rarely make it to trial . Usually , just the threat of such a lawsuit is enough for an out-of-court settlement .

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`` When folks are getting divorced , the threat of having the person 's new boyfriend , girlfriend , husband or wife dragged into court and the dirty laundry aired ... causes enormous pressure , '' says Matt Steffey , a law professor at Mississippi College School of Law .

Mississippi has been rocked by a high-profile suit , filed this summer , involving everything from allegations of ski resort trysts to a secret journal ordered kept under seal by a judge .

Better yet , it involves a congressman who once co-sponsored legislation for President George W. Bush to declare 2008 the `` National Year of the Bible . ''

The son of a prominent federal judge in Mississippi , Chip Pickering was the rising GOP star of the state -- hand-picked to succeed Trent Lott in the U.S. Senate . Then , everything unraveled .

Pickering decided not to run for re-election in 2008 after 12 years in the House . At the time , he said he wanted to spend more time with his family . He 's married with five children .

Like a tale from William Faulkner , who penned many a book on Mississippi elite with personal flaws , Pickering 's tumble has been staggering .

`` Chip Pickering has fallen far faster than the surrender of Vicksburg , '' Steffey says , referring to a key turning point in the Civil War , when Confederates gave up the Mississippi River town .

The real doozy came July 14 , when Leisha Pickering filed the alienation of affection suit against her husband 's alleged lover , a socialite named Elizabeth Creekmore-Byrd .

`` As a direct and proximate result of the negligent , wrongful and reckless misconduct and behavior of Creekmore-Byrd with Pickering , '' the suit says , `` plaintiff has suffered damage to the affection and consortium with her husband . ''

So hush-hush is the case , lawyers on both sides have reached a confidential agreement to not discuss the case publicly .

The suit , in effect , has branded the once-proud congressman with a Scarlet `` A. '' `` He had certainly fallen from the pinnacle of his professional life and his public life , but it had not yet become a public disgrace , '' Steffey says . `` And what this lawsuit did is it turned a fall into a disgrace . ''

`` There 's a particular cast of tragedy when people are undone , not by accidental misfortune , but by their own character defects . ''

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Most states have abolished alienation of affection lawsuits . Proponents in the holdout states say the threat of such legal action helps protect the sanctity of marriage .

But , Steffey and Rosen say , alienation of affection suits do just the opposite : They result in already contentious divorces getting even more heated , and they leave behind a public trail of personal shortcomings and wild tales of infidelity .

`` To allow these suits to go forward , '' Steffey says , `` is destructive to family life . ''

`` It 's much like dropping a nuclear bomb on a family , '' Rosen says . `` It really does damage the relationship between spouses . If there are children involved , it 's devastating for them . ''

It would require legislative action for states to change the law . And anyone who tries that in a conservative state could get painted as a pro-divorce lawmaker who holds cheaters less accountable .

`` It 's a very delicate matter legislatively , '' Steffey says .

And as long as the law remains on the books , Rosen says , he 'll keep busy : `` We have an obligation to pursue our clients ' rights . ''

There is one way to avoid such suits : Respect marital vows .

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Seven states allow for a scorned spouse to sue a paramour

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The `` alienation of affection '' suits stem from days when a wife was considered property

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Some in legal circles are monitoring the Tiger Woods saga as a result

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Divorce lawyer : `` You 've got to have a really affluent paramour that makes for a good target ''